Project READERS

Project READERS at the University of Florida (UF) is a doctoral leadership project designed to prepare special education (SE) higher education faculty with expertise in research and teacher education focused on language and literacy intervention for students with disabilities and those at risk for school failure. Project READERS is structured so that scholars develop high levels of competence in three key areas: (a) expertise in language and literacy development and disabilities and high-leverage, evidence-based practices to address them; (b) rigorous research methods to study those practices; and (c) effective teacher education and professional development to disseminate those practices. Mastery of these competencies is essential to preparing leaders who can be successful faculty and ensure that evidence-based literacy intervention practices are identified, proliferated, and implemented with fidelity.

The project builds on the strengths of UF’s nationally recognized SE program, housed in the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies (SESPECS), within the College of Education (COE). Project READERS scholars are supported by faculty from SESPECS who are also affiliated with UF Literacy Institute (UFLI). Project READERS harnesses the resources of UFLI and UF’s SE program to support the development of four doctoral scholars. The project’s goal is to ensure that scholars become experts in the science of reading, proficient in translating that science to teachers, and skilled in conducting reading intervention research.

SESPECS Website